Bloggy Conference 2013 – a place for “firsts”

I can’t believe that it’s been two years since my first conference. While Bloggy Conference 2013 provided so many memories, Bloggy Conference 2011 changed my outlook on what I provide here on my little corner of the internet. It showed me that my voice mattered. At that first Bloggy Conference near Cincinnati, Ohio, I found who I really was as a writer.

Two years later, and 9 conferences under my belt, I see that this intimate yet powerful conference is the catalyst for so many bloggers. 2 years ago I met some of my favorite writers, bloggers and business people. BloggyCon was the first time I’d met Staci of 7 on a shoestring, when we were both small bloggers looking for direction. Now Staci is one of the best bloggers out there, and is still as humble and wonderful as she was that first day. I also met a great woman who taught me how valuable twitter is when it comes to working on your brand. Sara Boers and I have collaborated on so many projects and conferences since that first encounter, and it was an honor to share the closing keynote of Bloggy Conference 2013 with her.

With Cedar Point as the backdrop to this momentous conference, you couldn’t help but feel blessed and excited to attend. The sessions were so helpful (Dan Morris’s SEO class had my head spinning), and my session on How to Use Pinterest to Build a Community was well received. Thanks to everyone that attended!

We had some great family time at Cedar Point and Hotel Breakers, with rides galore, checking out dinosaurs while in Halloween costumes, and losing my husband and daughter in the process (I’ll share that wonderful story later). I also got to hug some online friends for the first time. Jacqueline of WritRams almost bought me to tears with her encouraging words and genuine kindness. Be sure to check out Monkey Do Project to see how she’s changing lives, one can and shampoo bottle at a time.

Even the sponsors at BloggyCon were heartfelt, amazing people. Lauren from Honda gave us vital information on how to pitch a large brand, while sharing how she gets all of her own work done with 2 little ones. Laura of Laura Kelly Designs drew caricatures of a few attendees and even made personalized stationary for the speakers of the conference. I can’t wait to use mine!

To say that Bloggy Conference is a life-changing event is an understatement. Tiffany of BloggyMoms has been such a blessing in my life, and she may never know how much. I’m excited to see how many lives her conference changes this year, and the next.

You go girl! My goal in the next year is to get to a conference and meet more bloggers and make some more in-person connections. I wish I could have gone and heard you speak I know you must have been awesome!

Sounds like a great conference! That’s one of the things I love about Canadian conferences is they tend to be more intimate…which isn’t to say I didn’t have a total blast at BlogHer, but getting to connect on a more personal level is so great!